My surgeons were incredible, and there are several reasons I chose my team of doctors.

My chief surgeon is the program director of the department of oral and maxillofacial surgery at a university, and has been a faculty member there since the 90’s. I could tell the residents learned everything they knew about patient care from this chief. His personality was gentle and he made me feel like I wasn’t just another case to operate on. He only takes cases that he sees as necessary. It was very important to hear that this was my surgery, not his.

As one should expect, the residents were professional and well trained. They were comforting and compassionate during my consultations and pre-op appointments. They were welcoming towards questions. They recommended that I write them down as I thought of them in between appointments. They always had answers, and used models to demonstrate exactly what they were going to do with my bones. Believe it or not, seeing exactly what will happen during the procedure took a weight off my shoulders.

The team outlined each step that I needed to take before and after surgery. They told me how things work on their end, including how they conduct the practice procedure in virtual reality with 3D CAD models. They showed me how important it is to be gentle to the soft tissues, and the difference it makes during recovery. I was shown before and after results of x-rays other consenting cases. The whole process was very thorough.

This team continued to go above and beyond post-op. Each member of the surgical team checked in on me multiple times in the hospital. The residents would check my vitals even though they didn’t have to. They would communicate with my nurses almost every hour. At my first post-op appointment, the residents explained how the body heals without getting complex. They never talk down to you, they just talk to you. The chief surgeon didn’t talk down to the residents either. Everyone was a team, from surgeon to patient.

The skills, knowledge, and care I experienced are what makes a good surgeon in my opinion. Their names are reputable, and there is a good reason for it. Choose the doctors that make you feel like a person less than a case.